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US 6,733,218 B2Granted
High speed surgical instrument
AssigneeThe Anspach Effort, Inc.
InventorsEddy Del Rio, Jose M. Lamanna, Douglas A. Perry, Thomas E. Anspach
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AssigneeThe Anspach Effort, Inc.
InventorsEddy Del Rio, Jose M. Lamanna, Douglas A. Perry, Thomas E. Anspach
Estimating the term…
A high speed surgical instrument is designed with a clutch that automatically locks a cutter which is easily assembled and disassembled without moving parts. The clutch includes a pin and U-shaped pin that compliments a configured groove section at the proximal end of a cutter that fits into a clutch mechanism in the drill or attachment. The cutter includes axially spaced and opposed grooves judiciously located and a flat end portion that allows easy ingress and egress for locking into the clutch mechanism. A square or multi-sided bore configuration of a journal type bearing made from a high temperature resistance polymer material allows the drill to operate at high speeds with a reduction in the diameter of the distal end of the cutter support.
A clutch for a high speed drill supporting a cutter for surgical use and said high speed drill including a rotating spindle having a bore at one end, said rotating spindle having a lateral opening and another lateral opening circumferentially spaced from said lateral opening, said clutch including a U-shaped spring having a first leg extending through said lateral opening in said rotating spindle and intersecting said bore and a second leg extending through said another lateral opening radially spaced from said lateral opening and also intersecting said bore and defining between said first leg and said second leg a spaced passageway, a pin extending laterally through an aperture in said spindle and intersecting said bore, said pin being axially spaced from said U-shaped spring whereby said U-shaped spring and said pin accommodate a predetermined configuration in the cutter for automatically locking the cutter into the high speed drill.
A clutch for an adapter attached to a high speed drill supporting a cutter for surgical use, said adapter including a rotating spindle having a bore at one end, said rotating spindle having a lateral opening and another lateral opening circumferentially spaced from said lateral opening, said clutch including a U-shaped spring having a first leg extending through said lateral opening in said rotating spindle and intersecting said bore and a second leg extending through said another lateral opening radially spaced from said lateral opening and also intersecting said bore and defining between said first leg and said second leg a spaced passageway, a pin extending laterally through an aperture in said spindle and intersecting said bore, said pin being axially spaced from said U-shaped spring whereby said U-shaped spring and said pin accommodate a predetermined configuration in the cutter whose proximal end passes through said passageway and bears against said pin for automatically locking the cutter into said adapter.
In combination, a clutch for high speed drill and a cutter supported thereby for surgical use, said said high speed drill including a rotating spindle having a bore at one end, said rotating spindle having a lateral opening and another lateral opening circumferentially spaced from said lateral opening, said clutch including a U-shaped spring having a first leg extending through said lateral opening in said rotating spindle and intersecting said bore and a second leg extending through said another lateral opening radially spaced from said lateral opening and also intersecting said bore and defining between said first leg and said second leg a spaced passageway, a pin extending laterally through an aperture in said spindle and intersecting said bore, said pin being axially spaced from said U-shaped spring, said cutter having a proximate end and a distal end, said cutter having a shank portion, a cutting surface at the distal end, and a cut-out configuration portion adapted to be locked by said clutch, said cutter being circular in cross section, a milled out portion defining a flat surface formed on the distal end extending a short distance toward the proximate end, a first pair of opposing radially extending grooves adjacent to said flat portion and a second pair of radially extending grooves axially spaced from said first pair of radially extending grooves and said pin accommodate a predetermined configuration in the cutter for automatically locking the cutter into said clutch of the high speed drill.
In combination, a clutch for high speed drill and bearing for supporting a cutter in the high speed drill for surgical use, said said high speed drill including a housing and a rotating spindle, said rotating spindle having a bore at one end, said clutch including a U-shaped spring having a first leg extending through a lateral opening in said rotating spindle and intersecting said bore and a second leg extending through another lateral opening radially spaced from said lateral opening and also intersecting said bore and defining between said first leg and said second leg a spaced passageway, a pin extending laterally through an aperture in said spindle and intersecting said bore, said pin being axially spaced from said U-shaped spring, said bearing being supported in a housing, said high speed rotating shaft mounted in said straight through bore, said straight through bore of said bearing having four side wall surfaces defining in cross section a substantially square shape, the dimensions of the diameter of said high speed rotating shaft and the area of the cross section of said straight through bore being selected so that said high speed rotating shaft bears at point contact against two side wall surfaces of said four side wall surfaces and said bearing being made from material taken from the group consisting essentially of polyimide resin and graphite.
In combination, a clutch for high speed drill, and bearing supporting the cutter in the housing of said high speed drill for surgical use, said high speed drill including a rotating spindle having a bore at one end, said rotating spindle having a lateral opening and another lateral opening circumferentially spaced from said lateral opening, said clutch including a U-shaped spring having a first leg extending through said opening in said lateral rotating spindle and intersecting said bore and a second leg extending through said another lateral opening radially spaced from said lateral opening and also intersecting said bore and defining between said first leg and said second leg a spaced passageway, a pin extending laterally through an aperture in said spindle and intersecting said bore, said pin being axially spaced from said U-shaped spring, said cutter having a proximate end and a distal end, said cutter having a shank portion, a cutting surface at the distal end, and a cut-out configuration portion adapted to be locked said clutch, said cutter being circular in cross section, a milled out portion defining a flat surface formed on the distal end extending a short distance toward the proximate end, a first pair of opposing radially extending grooves adjacent to said flat portion and a second pair of radially extending grooves axially spaced from said first pair of radially extending grooves and said pin accommodate a predetermined configuration in the cutter for automatically locking the cutter into said clutch of the high speed drill, said bearing being supported in said housing, said shank portion mounted in said straight through bore for high speed rotation, said straight through bore of said bearing having four side wall surfaces defining in cross section a substantially square shape, the dimensions of the diameter of said high speed rotating shank portion and the area of the cross section of said straight through bore being selected so that said high speed rotating shaft bears at point contact against two side wall surfaces of said four side wall surfaces and said bearing being made from material taken from the group consisting essentially of polymide resin and graphite.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.